Polymer Engineering and Science articles from June 2005

Polymer Engineering and Science archives from June 2005

Effects of melt temperature and hold pressure on the tensile and fatigue properties of an injection molded talc-filled polypropylene.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Mineral-filled polypropylene has many potential applications in automobiles, appliances, and other commercial products where creep resistance, stiffness, and some toughness are demanded in addition to weight and cost savings....

Application of ultrasound and neural networks in the determination of filler dispersion during polymer extrusion processes.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Mineral-reinforced polymers are widely used in today's industries for their improved mechanical properties in comparison with nonreinforced ones. Mineral filler dispersion is an important factor affecting the properties of the...

Effects of nano- and micro-fillers and processing parameters on injection-molded microcellular composites.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Microcellular plastics and microcellular polymer nanocomposites have both attracted much attention due to their improved properties as compared to conventional polymer composites [1-9]. One obstacle encountered in the...

Comparison of experimental and analytical vibration welding meltdown-time profiles for nylon 66 and polypropylene.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Vibration welding is a common technique for joining injection-molded thermoplastic parts. Examples of automotive components assembled using this technique include air intake manifolds and resonators. The mechanical properties...

Thermodynamic analysis of the inequality of the cohesive energy density and internal pressure of polymers.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION The concept of solubility parameter has been frequently used for the prediction of miscibility of binary polymer blends, as the difference in solubility parameters of the blend components is directly related to their enthalpy...

Recycling of PVC/PU waste and reuse in PVC formulations: structure-property relationship.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), is basically plasticized by low molecular mass esters such as dioctyl phthalate (DOP), dioctyl sebacate (DOS), etc. [1-4]. However, using low molecular mass plasticizers leads to the long-term...

Lignin plasticization to improve binderless fiberboard mechanical properties.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Fiberboards [1, 2] are produced in vast quantities all over the world and are an excellent building material with high specific strength and good insulating properties. New regulations concerning the use of phenolic resins...

High-density polyethylene/cycloolefin copolymer blends. Part 1: phase structure, dynamic mechanical, tensile, and impact properties.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Polyethylene (PE) shows a relatively low yield strength and a high propensity to creeping. These deficiencies can be alleviated by blending PE with a yield- and/or creep-resistant polymer, which forms a co-continuous blend...

Melt compounding of different grades polystyrene with organoclay. Part 3: mechanical properties.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION One of the advantages of adding organoclay to a polymer matrix, i.e., making a polymer nanocomposite (PNC), is the improvement of mechanical properties. For example, incorporation of 4.2 wt% of exfoliated montmorillonite into...

Study of self-crimp polyester fibers.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Self-crimp fibers behave like natural wool with a textured appearance. The crimps are born from a composite of two parallel but attached fibers with differing shrinkage or expansion properties. Since the crimp is naturally...

Kinetic modeling of an unsaturated polyester resin using two complementary techniques: near infrared spectroscopy and heat flux sensors.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Resin transfer molding (RTM) of unsaturated polyester resins is commonly used for industrial production of fiber-reinforced parts in the automotive industry. Over the last decades, considerable effort has been exerted by both...

Comparison of injection molding machine performance.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION The injection molding process is dependent on the repeatable production of parts to a required specification and quality. Some amount of variation is inherent but this can be minimized for any given set of polymer, mold, and...

Experimental and numerical studies of injection molding with microfeatures.
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION In recent years, the fabrication of polymer-based microcomponents for optical and biomedical applications has gained increasing attention in industry and academia [1]. Polymer materials are favored because of their low cost,...

Reactive blending of thermoplastic polyurethane in situ with poly(vinyl chloride).
June 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Blends of PVC with other polymers, used to produce permanently plasticized or impact modified compounds in the absence of monomeric liquid plasticizers, have significant commercial significance but are often difficult to mix...